50 whirling 50for50 adventures!
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For the past two years, I’ve been traveling the U.S. and world on 50 adventures — 50 places new to me to celebrate turning 50. I started on my 49th birthday Feb 8, 2018, and finished on Jan 18, 2020, three weeks before turning 51.
I created this challenge to keep myself young at heart. I’ve always been an adventuresome soul and was still traveling regularly, but I’d also noticed that I was spending more time on my couch watching TV shows than I wanted. The New York Times had just hired a reporter to travel to 52 places in one year. Sadly, they didn’t hire me, but this dream job inspired me to create my own list of places to visit. Little did I know how much joy this quest would generate.
My very first trip was to the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, right up the street from me. I’d been having knee issues and my 50for50 list got me to go for a visit when I otherwise would have stayed indoors. Two weeks later, I passed a sign for Pinnacles National Park on my way home from trip #2 to Paso Robles wine country with friends. I immediately cranked a quick right to visit that day. It was on my list so why wait! In three hours, I saw two condors, two foxes, a hare, and four deer, and I climbed through caves I didn’t even know existed.
The magic continued as friends and family reached out to figure out which listing they could join me on. I ended up traveling with more than 40 people in 9 states (all repeats) and 12 countries (8 new to me if I also add count Japan thanks to a quick Tokyo day trip on my return). I also visited:
10 national parks (4 new to me; Pinnacles, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree, Olympic, Glacier Bay, Zion, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings, White Sands)
Eight state parks (seven new to me! Waimea Canyon, Na Pali Coast, Anza-Borrego Desert, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Jerome, Palouse Falls, Cape Blanco, Humboldt)
Three national monuments (Grand Staircase-Escalante, Vermillion Cliffs, and Tuzigoot)
Three national wildlife refuges (Farallon Islands, Kilauea Point, and Bosque del Apache)
A national seashore (Cape Cod), national recreation area (Glen Canyon), national forest (Coconino), and state natural reserve (Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve).
Only the biggest or best made the official list, which means I saw so many more new places that just the 50 below. I also took off on an impromptu solo road trip that took me 2,800 miles through Nevada, Montana, Idaho, and the Pacific Northwest.
When I started the list, I told myself I wasn’t allowed to change it. Fifteen trips in, I decided it was my list and I could go wherever I damn well pleased! So Finland became Cuba, Italy’s Cinque Terre replaced Russia’s Red Square, and I decided to chase orangutans in Indonesia instead of strolling down Boston’s Harborwalk (I still made it to Boston, just not the harbor!). The only small regret I have is not skydiving, which was #1 on my original list. But I replaced it with Angkor Wat — not a bad trade.
My quest was motivating, invigorating, heart-opening, and a bit daunting to plan at times. I wouldn’t trade any of it. Two of the trips even made it onto my life list of favorite destinations: Morocco and Kauai.
Now that it’s over, I hope to stay as spontaneous and consistent in my trip planning. It truly made life much more exciting and unexpected. Here’s my final list in chronological order. What an epic set of adventures! And as I said at the start of my journey to 50, here's to a life well lived now and well into the future.
UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens - first adventure solo right near home - March 2018
Edna Valley and Paso Robles wine tasting with Rick, George, and Sowmya - March 2018
Pinnacles National Park, California - March 2018
Esalen Institute nonviolent communications workshop, Big Sur, California - June 2018
Portland, Oregon, WDS stage as attendee story - June 2018 but as bollywood dancer thanks to Meredith and Prashant!
Surprise-the-hell-out-of-me place - helicopter ride in Kauai - July 2018
Kauai, Na Pali coast - changed from kayaking to a boat ride with Kim - July 2018
Kauai, Waimea Canyon with Kim - July 2018
Kauai, Secret Beach with Kim - July 2018
San Francisco tiki bar bar crawl with tiki fans Greg and Jeff :) - September 2018
Farallon Islands, California with ETC crew - September 2018
Morocco, Chefchaouen with Didi, Kim, and the Intrepid crew - September 2018
Morocco, Fez with Didi, Kim, and the Intrepid crew - October 2018
Morocco, Erg Chebbi dunes with Didi, Kim, and the Intrepid crew - October 2018
Morocco, Marrakesh with Didi, Kim, and the Intrepid crew - October 2018
Alhambra in Grenada, Spain with Tina and Julio - October 2018
Seville, Spain with Tina and Julio - October 2018
Havana, Cuba - December 2018
Vinales, Cuba - December 2018
Trinidad, Cuba - December 2018
Iceland, amazing ice cave tour with Shannon - February 2018
Iceland, snorkeling with Shannon between the Eurasian and Eurasian tectonic plates in the dead of winter at Silfra as the Northern Lights eluded us - February 2018
Iceland, incredible Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa experience with Shannon - February 2018
Superbloom 2019 - March 2019
Cinque Terre, Italy - May 2019
Siena, Italy - May 2019
Tuscany farmhouse near Pienza, Italy - May 2019
Taormino, Sicily - May 2019
Celebrate my dad's 80th somewhere great! - Alaska’s Glacier Bay with our whole family - June 2019
Olympic National Park, Washington with Aunt Wendy - July 2019
Boston, Massachusetts, Freedom Trail with Mom - September 2019
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts with Mom - September 2019
Provincetown, Massachusetts with Mom - September 2019
North Rim of Grand Canyon, Arizona with Dad, uncle Glenn, and aunt Melinda - September 2019
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona condor release site with Dad, Glenn, and Melinda - September 2019
Antelope Canyon, Arizona with Dad, Glenn, and Melinda - September 2019
Horseshoe Bend, near Page, Arizona with Dad, Glenn, and Melinda - September 2019
Sedona, Arizona with Dad - September 2019
Ringing Rocks near Whitehall, Montana with Cathy and Robbeye - October 2019
Walla Walla wine tasting (plus visit on way to boring Coeur d’Alene and amazing visit to Palouse Falls) - October 2019
Jaw-dropping Oregon coast drive - November 2019
Alternative medicinal center in Davis, California with Jeff and a friend - November 2019
Sensorio lights installation in Paso Robles with Sara Terrien - December 2019
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico - December 2019
White Sands National Park, New Mexico - December 2019
Halong Bay, Vietnam for New Years 2020!
Luwang Prabang, Laos - January 2020
Angkor Wat, Cambodia - January 2020
Bukit Lawang, Northern Sumatra, Indonesia to see orangutans - January 2020
Last-chance-for-50-for-50!!! - Langkawi, Malaysia - January 2020